A Note From the Redbud VC Team

2025 marked the 13th annual Missouri Startup Weekend and the fourth year our team at Redbud VC had the privilege of organizing the event. ✨

The energy this year was unmatched. Over 130 participants gathered to pitch 58 ideas, and we sold out three weeks in advance. The word is getting out that Missouri Startup Weekend is the place to be if you’ve got an idea, want to build a company, and have access to a condensed weekend of resources. This year, we had participants travel from over 8 states, and we hosted the weekend at EquipmentShare’s newly opened Technology and Development Center in our home base, Columbia, Missouri.

From the impressive mentors to our new sprint track featuring 4 Missouri-based companies, Missouri Startup Weekend 2025 was, without a doubt, our best year yet. The teams and founders we saw were of the highest quality we've ever had, and the progress they made throughout the weekend was incredible and we’re just getting started.

Redbud VC invests monetary ($50k-$150k) and social capital in early-stage tech founders. We bring monthly Redbud VC, tech, and economics updates. - We've filtered thousands of sources for our 14k+ readers, so you don't have to. Enjoy🥂

Day 1: Friday, April 11th

Friday night kicked things off with a bang. Over 250 people packed into EquipmentShare HQ to watch 58 participants pitch their ideas, each hoping to land a spot in one of the 11 final teams. Each pitch was 60 seconds, just enough time to share about what each participant wanted to build over the weekend and who they needed on their team.

The final teams were selected through a mix of audience voting and judges — Crystal Graves (MOSW 2023 winner), Nick Farquhar (MOSW 2022 winner), and Joe Davis from Headline helped select the final teams.

Here’s a rundown of the 11 ideas that made it to the final cut:

• Focus: A platform that rethinks focus groups for the digital age, bringing better insights for businesses.

• arbOne: Changing the way tree care companies bid on projects, making it more efficient and transparent.

• Pocket Preceptor: A nurse education app that bridges the gap between orientation and real-world practice.

• The Green Thumb: A moisture meter for plants that connects to an app, sending you a heads-up when it’s time to water.

• Safety Straw: A straw that changes color if date rape drugs are detected in your drink.

• Ambassador: A system that helps protect caregivers of older adults from fraud through better financial controls.

• Remi: A voice assistant that helps real estate agents manage their contacts and tasks more efficiently.

• Golden HomeShare: A platform like Airbnb but for long-term stays with older hosts, plus discounts if you help out around the house.

• Nexcred: An AI-powered marketplace connecting employees, employers, and higher ed institutions.

• SightScan: A quality control and safety platform using AI to process images for the construction industry.

• Opscompanion: An AI-driven incident management system that learns and builds context about your software infrastructure.

In addition, we hosted the inaugural Sprint Track, featuring four Missouri-based companies:

• dScribe AI (Kansas City, MO): A platform and API for video intelligence.

• Replacement Cars Inc. (St. Louis, MO): AI-driven technology to streamline the total loss vehicle replacement process.

• Balance HQ (Columbia, MO): Software to help school boards and superintendents benchmark and communicate their district's financial performance.

• Vendoor (Cape Girardeau, MO): An app-free platform for real-time tracking and management of construction job site visitors, equipment, and tasks.

Day 2: Saturday, April 12th

Saturday was all about building. Teams were up bright and early (or all night), diving into the work of developing their ideas. We brought in 13 incredible mentors to guide the teams as they worked:

• Bill Turpin: Serial entrepreneur, former CEO of Missouri Innovation Center, CEO of Biography Health.

• Dan Kerr: General Partner at Flyover Capital, with a portfolio that includes DevStride and Opendorse.

• Bess Goodfellow: Partner at Hyde Park Angels, with investments in Shipbob and Simple Mills.

• Kelsey Raymond: COO of Intero Digital and OG MOSW founder.

• Vik Lakhwara: GP and Founder of the Stakehouse Fund and Green Cow VC.

• Phil Reynolds: Founder of DevStride and Britecore

• Andrew Wegryzn: Principal at SixThirty VC

• Marc Bernstein: Founder and CEO of Balto.ai

• Nate Johnson: Chief Experience Officer at Veterans United

• Joe Davis: Investor at Headline.

• Levi Mallot: CTO at Weave, ex-SpaceX, and ex-BetterUp.

• Amber Fehrenbacher: Serial entrepreneur, former CMO at EquipmentShare.

The Sprint Track teams received focused mentorship workshops hosted by founders, lawyers, and investors, including Wade Foster from Zapier, Danny He & Laura Lakhwara from Soapbox, Bryce Navarro and Samantha Sweet from Husch Blackwell, and 1-on-1 investor sessions with Willy Schlacks & Brett Calhoun from Redbud VC, Joe Davis & Ketul Patel from Headline, and Bess Goodfellow from Hyde Park Angels.

Later in the evening, we hosted a dinner for mentors, sprint track teams, and sponsors in downtown COMO, with fantastic weather and delicious food from Peachtree Catering.

Day 3: Sunday, April 13th

Sunday was the grand finale of what was undoubtedly the best Missouri Startup Weekend yet. The 11 teams, who had worked tirelessly over the past two days, took the stage to pitch in front of a panel of judges. Each team had 5 minutes to present what they built, followed by 3 minutes of Q&A.

The panel of judges included:

• Jyothi Vallurupalli: Investor at Lightbank, a $680M AUM early-stage VC firm.

• Wade Foster: CEO and co-founder of Zapier, the 2011 MOSW alumni turned billion-dollar company.

• Willy & Jabbok Schlacks: Brothers who built EquipmentShare into a billion-dollar company.

• Lori Coulter: Co-Founder of Summersalt, a sustainable fashion brand.

After intense deliberation, the judges announced the winners:

1st Place: Focus

2nd Place: Golden HomeShare

3rd Place: SiteScan

Shoutouts & Gratitude

• EquipmentShare Event Team: A huge thank you to Sherrie Schlacks and Tara Murray for their impeccable planning and coordination.

• Veterans United Events Team: Megan McBride, David Hansen, and the entire team, your design expertise, signage, and installations really brought the event to life.

• Craig Hindelang & the EquipmentShare Culinary Team: Your delicious meals fueled our participants all weekend long!

• EquipmentShare IT Team: A special thanks to the entire team for making sure the tech side ran smoothly, coordinating everything from mics to presentation materials.

• Mentors & Volunteers: To the mentors and volunteers who gave their time and expertise, we couldn’t have done this without you. Your guidance made a huge difference in the progress of the teams.

• Goldies Bagels, Sage, Logboat, Moon Yoga, Resla, Hexagon Ally: Thanks for providing the coffee, drinks, games, and activities that kept everyone energized and engaged throughout the weekend.

• And to all of our sponsors: EquipmentShare, Zapier, The Arcade District, Bullpen Design, Aviron Software, Veterans United, Redbud VC, Paytient, Missouri Technology Corporation, Husch Blackwell, Williams Keepers, CodeBuddy, Anders CPA, Centennial Investors, Elemental Enzymes, University of Missouri Healthcare, Transitions Law Group LLC, and Cultivation Capital

Follow our Medium and Latest 🔖

The information provided in this newsletter is intended for general understanding and educational purposes only, not as a guide to investment decisions. The authors, publishers, and distributors of this newsletter are not licensed financial advisors and are not providing financial advice or investment advisory services.s